Hope Ascends
by Gryffindorgirl2000
Summary: "Strong the Force runs, in the Skywalker line. Hope, we can." Hope is dying, the Dark Side encroaching. The Galactic Empire has stretched its malign influence across the Galaxy, its gnarled grip strangling the faith and trust out of its inhabitants. The meagre Rebel Alliance seemed doomed from the outset. However, the Light Side has one last trick up its sleeve: Skywalker triplets.
1. Prologue

**HOPE ASCENDS**

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing but Caidan and Seraphina. All other characters, names and planets belong to George Lucas and Lucasfilm_**

 **Prologue**

 _Alderaan Cruiser, 19 BBY:_

"Pregnant, she must still appear. Hidden, safe, the children must be kept." The wise Jedi Master stated in his usual sagely tone. However, his voice resonated sorrow and pain as he and Obi Wan Kenobi, two of the last remaining Jedi in the entire Galaxy, discussed with the exhausted Alderannian Senator the fates of their last hopes.

Weighed down by both an external fatigue and an internal despair, Obi Wan Kenobi looked at his two fellow survivors with heavy eyes. He knew what had to be done. It was the only way. The Force called for it to be this way. Yet the weary Jedi could see nothing but the ominous ochre eyes that glowed viciously from beneath the scorching river of lava. He could hear nothing but the agonising screams; _"I hate you!"._ He could smell nothing but the wretched odour of burning flesh. _Its another betrayal,_ he thought bitterly. Another failure and it was all his fault. He failed in training his master's prodigy, he failed in protecting the Galaxy, and he failed in fulfilling his role as a guardian of peace. _I failed_ _ **him**_ , he thought, _my best friend, my brother. Now I'm separating his children, planning to use them as mere instruments in a greater plan to implement the destruction of the Sith._

A subtle nudge in the Force truncated his self-chastisement and prompted the man to look up. Meeting Yoda's emerald orbs, Obi Wan quickly diverted his gaze to the charred edges of his robes. "We must take them somewhere the Sith will not sense their presence." The words felt acrid on his tongue.

"Split up, they should be." He knew this was coming, but the Jedi Master's words were like a brutal blow. Again, the horrid memories began to flood his senses, the hum of his lightsaber filling his ears as the vivid image of his weapon slicing through Ana-the Sith's limbs consumed his thoughts.

"My wife and I will take the girl," Senator Bail Organa feebly said, "we've always talked of adopting a baby girl. She will be loved with us."

"And what of the boys?" Obi Wan replied. " _She is having triplets."_ When the medical droid told him this information, he was astounded. How could he not have noticed? How clouded they were by the dark side. Most importantly, how did Anakin hide it? The very thought impaled Obi Wan through the heart; perhaps he had lost his friend much earlier than he had initially thought.

"To Tatooine, send one. With his family stay he will."

"And the other?" Bail asked. The room fell silent as the three contemplated on what to do with the third child. Obi Wan had an idea of course, but uttering it would be the ultimate, complete betrayal of his lost friend. The Force was telling him that this child would be the key; his destiny would be embroiled with loss and sacrifice. Sitting here now, the bearded Jedi Master felt more than thought that this child, the youngest Skywalker, would have the greatest fate of the three.

"Naboo." He forced the name out of his mouth.

Yoda raised what Obi Wan could only assume was an eyebrow that was concealed by layers of aged wrinkled skin, "Naboo, say you, Obi Wan?"

Swallowing the guilt-soaked lump in his throat, Obi Wan explained his reasoning to the two in front of him. "Yes, Master. There are two places that…Vader will likely never return to again. One is his home planet of Tatooine: the pain of his mother's loss and his enmity towards its inhabitants and his upbringing will definitely deter him from returning. Naboo will irrefutably remind him of Senator Amidala. Not only will this bring great anguish, but it will also threaten him with glimpses of light at a time when he will attempt to encompass himself in darkness, to protect himself and asphyxiate the remnants of the man that was Anakin Skywalker. The second boy should go to Naboo, under the name Naberrie, to live with Padme's sister and brother-in-law."

Yoda analysed the younger man in front of him for a great while. Naboo did seem like the natural place to put the boy. Obi Wan was not alone in sensing this boy's great destiny and potential aptitude with the Force; his mother's home planet will be the safest place for him.

"Agree I do," he said finally, and Obi Wan felt as if the whole atmosphere exalted a giant breath as the climatic tension diffused. Or so he thought.

Sensing that Yoda would question his own intentions, Obi Wan quickly cut in to conceal his inner turmoil. "I will take the eldest child and watch over him on Tatooine. Master Yoda, do you think Anakin's triplets will be able to defeat Darth Sidious?"

The age-old eyes surveyed him for several seconds before answering the question that was so patently intended to distract from his own thoughts. "Strong the Force runs, in the Skywalker line. Hope, we can." Again, the wise eyes pierced into his own before the old Jedi Master continued, "Sense as I do Obi Wan, that strong in the Force the third child is, more than his siblings. Watch over him why not, hmm?"

There it was, as he expected. Restraining his sudden need to glare at his elder, Obi Wan met Yoda's fierce gaze with his own guarded one. "Tatooine is a desolate wasteland with scattered villages and settlements. An isolated hermit is hardly out of the ordinary. Naboo on the other hand is more of a community, meaning I will forced to be out in the open. Moreover, there is a chance that I will be recognised from my time there during the Separatist invasion. I'm afraid that my beard will not be enough to cover my true identity." His little quip fell on deaf ears, but his logic at least still seemed to penetrate. At least it did with Bail; Yoda still stared at him suspiciously. The truth was that he didn't want to watch over the youngest Skywalker because he couldn't bear the guilt. He would be preparing the boy for an inescapably onerous destiny, and that would consummate his absolute betrayal.

"Yours the decision is," Yoda said cautiously, "Done it is…until the time is right, disappear we will."

The three moved to leave the room, though as Obi Wan goes to follow the Senator out the door, Yoda stopped him. "Master Kenobi, wait a moment. In your solitude on Tatooine, training I have for you."

Turning to the Master with a raised eyebrow, Obi Wan wondered what training he could possibly need for his approaching 'solitude'. "Training?"

Nodding his head, Yoda continued "An old friend has learned the path to immortality." 

"Who?" both curious and incredulous, Obi Wan turned his full attention to the little green alien in front of him.

"One who has returned from the netherworld of the Force to train me . . . your old Master, Qui-Gon Jinn." 

Mouth agape, he stuttered out the only words that he could, "Qui-Gon? But…how?"

Smiling knowingly, the Jedi Master fed the younger man the information he so desperately wanted to have. "The secret of the Ancient Order of the Whills, he studied. How to commune with him, I will teach you. How to join the Force, he will train you. Your consciousness you will retain, when one with the Force. Even your physical self, perhaps."

The small Jedi hobbled from the room, leaving a normally sophisticated and nonchalant Jedi gawking in his wake. Shaking his head slightly, Obi Wan quickly followed Yoda out of the door, still startled by the realisation that his Master was theoretically still with him. A little smile began to erode the seemingly ineradicable frown on the Jedi's face. As he left for his starship, he began to think that hope was not lost after all. Where there is darkness, light will always eventually ascend to meet it. The Jedi Code rose to the front of his mind:

 _There is no death, there is the Force_

There was no laughter of children playing on the beach or the bubble of socialisation that often filled the air as Obi Wan landed on Naboo. Instead the atmosphere was leaden with melancholy and dejection. Even the birds seemed to be singing a mourning song for the passing of the much beloved Senator and former queen. As he walked across the jade green grass towards the elegant countryside villa ahead of him, he looked down at the small bundle in his arms. Unlike his brother and sister who had both fallen asleep not long after their entry into this morbid world, the youngest Skywalker stared straight up at the enervated Jedi Master with wide inquisitive eyes. _Innocent eyes_ , Obi Wan thought. Innocent eyes that were big and crystalline blue. They were so intensely piercing that Obi Wan had to look away; _there Anakin's eyes_ , he thought sombrely, exact replicas of the icy blue orbs of which he had seen so many emotions rush through over the past thirteen years. The boy's hair was a dark blonde, slightly darker than his brother's but lighter than his sister's, and already curling into slight waves on the cradle of his fragile head. The more he looked the more he saw of Anakin, yet, if he looked close enough he could also ascertain the features that were strongly Padme's. The boy had her cherry lips and the button nose.

Looking at this tiny creature in his arms, this angelic like infant that was completely incognizant of the sinister and minacious threat that he would inevitably have to face, Obi Wan was again overcome by an avalanche of dread and guilt. How could he call himself a Jedi Knight, nevertheless a Master. He had willingly fought in a war that reaped the lives of thousands, he had played into the hands of a duplicitous and malevolent Sith Lord who had corrupted his friend, he had turned away from the burning body of the man he once called his brother. Worst of all, he was about to sacrifice this boy to a fate that will place the weight of the Galaxy upon his youthful shoulders.

The sound of steps on stone roused him from his reverie. Looking up he saw the older sister of Senator Amidala, Sola Naberrie, standing on the marble steps looking drained and frail yet trying to retain her strong façade for her children. As he approached her stoic look crumbled once she laid eyes on the blanket encased new born in his arms.

Hands flying to her mouth, Obi Wan heard a sob wretch from the poor woman's throat. "Oh Padme, Padme…" the rest of her grief-stricken words were drowned out by her sporadic breathing and low groans.

"Sola," he mumbled soothingly, "look at him. Please just look at him." And she did. As soon as her eyes met the two stunning crystals of her nephew her crying stopped and her breathing soon stabilised. She became entranced in the depths of blue that drew her in as if they were sirens beckoning wayward sailors.

Without breaking eye contact with the infant, she lifted him up and settled him in her arms. "Padme" she uttered again, yet this time the grief and agony was supplanted by nostalgia and even joy. The tears returned, but now they flowed somewhat elegantly down her cheeks and over her upturned lips. She was smiling. Looking up at the auburn-haired Jedi, the grieving woman nodded gratefully, "Thank you…Master Jedi".

Smiling sadly, Obi Wan placed his warm hand over the two doll-like ones of the baby boy in her arms. "Not anymore" he responded, "be careful, Sola. His fate is in your hands".

Eyes hardening as she seemed to realise what the Jedi intended for the cherubic child, she turned abruptly and walked up the marble steps to where her husband waited wearily. _If only you knew,_ he thought sullenly.

Walking slowly towards his ship, the summer breeze gently ruffling his hair and robes, Obi Wan could only hope that this celestial planet remained untainted by the rising 'Galactic Empire'. Hopefully the boy will remain as such as well. Turning to watch the couple embrace the young boy, a delicate smile graced the Jedi's lips as he wished the boy good luck on the unequivocally arduous journey that was soon to come.

"May the Force be with you, Caidan Skywalker.

 **Hey guys! I have been thinking about this story for a while and have finally decided to bring it to life. I hope you enjoy, as I really loved writing this chapter and am already excited for the plot to unfold. Please review, I really appreciate your comments and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism.**

 **Eliza.**


	2. Chapter 1

**HOPE ASCENDS**

 _ **DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but my OC's and additional scenes (in this chapter Caidan and Captain Lezain); everything else belongs the extraordinary George Lucas and Lucasfilm.**_

 **Chapter 1**

 _The Executor, Imperial Star Destroyer, 0ABY:_

Thrumming his fingers against his utility belt, the young man leaned against the onyx metallic wall of the Executer's bridge as he surveyed the chaos surrounding him with an aloof air. Crystalline eyes swept the room, absorbing the potent fear emitting through the Force. A devious smirk graced the handsome face as it became clear the origin of the crew's terror. _They've failed,_ he thought _._ The Death Star Plan's had slipped through their fingers yet again. Chuckling to himself, the figure, shrouded in shadow, extended his senses outward and was immediately encompassed by tremendous anger and proliferating impatience. _Someone's breaths are limited._

The baleful, enormous presence drew ever closer, each step reverberating through the Force like a sinister crack of thunder forewarning an impending maelstrom. However, he also felt a much subtler presence, one unfamiliar yet defiant; undoubtedly this aura was involved in triggering the Dark Lord's fury. _A rebel,_ he assumed, _someone of importance considering that they were still alive._ The presence retreated further away from him, towards the cell block, and soon the shadowy figure was encircled by the foreboding force that encroached upon the bridge like a malefic, vengeful wraith.

The doors opened with a mechanical hiss that was instantaneously supplanted by sinisterly clinical, robotic breaths. The mere sound left each and every technician, tactician, subordinate and officer trembling involuntarily, left them desperately recoiling in on themselves as if they would somehow be able to shield their mental and physical selves from the manifestation of the Empire's might that now stood before them.

Darth Vader glowered at the men and women that cowered before him. He was in no mood for incompetence, and that was all he could currently see from those who were allegedly the 'Empire's finest'. Eyes narrowing behind the red-tinted lenses of his mask, the Dark Lord of the Sith felt his fingers twitch with the desire to reap life and raze havoc in order to sate his murderous hunger. The incessant boiling of blood, which seemed to seethe with the remnants of his agony and anguish from Mustafar, intensified as he felt the overwhelming terror that subjugated his entire crew

"Ozzel!" he barked.

The petrified man jolted from his frozen position at the front of the Executer's bridge and scurried, _like the pathetic rodent he was_ Vader thought, toward the towering immoveable statue that Lord Vader appeared to be. Admiral Kendal Ozzel was a proud and ambitious man who was as pompous as any high-ranking Imperial officer could get. He ordered, he lead, he punished; he most certainly did not grovel.

"L-Lord Vader" the man stuttered, "I…I am glad to see that you are unharmed."

Unnerved by the menacingly still figure in front of him whose mechanical breathing was the only sign that he was actually alive, Ozzel struggled to refrain his perceptible trembling. Vader still remained immobile, his breaths so unnaturally slow that the Admiral found himself anticipating the next to arrive. When the silence extended and the tension became painfully palpable, Ozzel hesitantly decided to speak. "W-we have deployed the troops to the surface of Tatooine as you instructed, My Lord, and are awaiting your or-" his words were abruptly cut of as he felt the chilling grip of an invisible hand clench around his pulsing throat.

"Are you so incompetent, Admiral, that you need detailed instructions in order to enact blatantly simple tasks? Why do we remain inanely stationary rather than in lightspeed en route to Death Star space!"

Clawing woefully at his neck, the Admiral could only think of his predecessor's strangled end; he had sworn at the time that he would never suffer Tagge's pitiful fate. If he could, Ozzel would have laughed at the irony. "I-I tho-" his body was beginning to convulse from the lack of oxygen. "wa-a-it for or-ders. Foll-o-w pro-toc-al. Pll-ea… pl..se"

Sneering beneath his mask, the Dark Lord tightened his grip, refusing to grant the foolhardy Admiral the relief he feebly begged for. "Your _protocol_ is insufficient to my expectations, Admiral." Deciding to elongate the man's suffering, Vader, while still asphyxiating the now dangling man, moved his interrogation onward. "Captain Lezain."

Said man, who immediately became a ghostly white, stepped forward. Attempting to don the regulatory 'officer face', Lezain faced the Emperor's formidable Hand with what, Vader thought, was an admirable attempt at bravery. _Shame, so much potential._

Snapping his feet together with a fluid movement, the young officer stood at attention. "My Lord." The words stuck to his oesophagus on their way out as the man watched his superior's perverse torture in the corner of his eye, causing Lezain to subconsciously swallow the growing lump in his throat.

"Tell me, Captain," Vader sadistically paused for effect, the only sounds in the room being his respiratory system and the strangled gasps of Admiral Ozzel. "Why you failed to fulfil your simple duty of preventing _any_ transports andescape pods from leaving the vicinity." Vader felt the sudden terror radiate off of the younger man, and smiled. Lezain was beginning to become a sickly pasty colour as realisation dawned on him, writhing through his body like the icy grasp of frigid water, the freezing dread paralysing his limbs as if rendered by hyperthermia.

"I-" words became suddenly elusive to the Captain as his throat became clogged by his own trepidation. "No lifeforms were detected. I…I saw no reason to waste ammunition and cause further disquiet."

The lack of response from the Dark Lord was inexplicably minacious, and Lezain began to desperately ramble in hope that something would seem logical enough to spare his life. "If any life-lifeforms were found, I would not have hesitated to neutralise the pod, but I thought… I thought" the young officer whimpered.

 _How quickly the façade was shattered_ , Vader thought. He relished in his ability to impose a terror that reduced the courageous and proud to snivelling womp rats by just staring at them. In fact, he didn't even need to do that as they didn't know if he _was_ looking at them. He merely needed to enter a room, for his presence to become known and his breathing ominously audible to their substandard senses. If there was one good thing about his cursed suit, it was its capability to effortlessly install perturbation. Deciding to end the poor creature's pitiable existence, Vader deftly flicked his unoccupied hand and the young officer dropped to the floor, neck snapped, his former professional stance depleted to a forlorn pile of limbs susceptible to the smallest inkling of the Dark Side's immense power.

Turning his attention back to the choking Admiral, the Sith Lord waited a few moments for the gravity of his actions to sink in to the mortified crew. Suddenly, Vader released the man seconds before his eyes rolled back into his head and he ceased breathing entirely. Swiftly turning with a swish of his ebony cape that would have been theatrical from any one else but the Dark Lord, Vader took a few loud steps forward before pausing again.

"Consider yourself lucky, Admiral Ozzel," Vader muttered odiously, tilting his head to the side slightly, "I trust that you will find a quick replacement for Captain Lazain. Subordinates are, after all, disposable". And with that the mass of power began to stride out of the room before acutely stooping again, his mask moving to look at the exact position where the shadowy figure had observed the spectacle silently and who remained concealed from the rest of the Bridge Crew.

Silence again overwhelmed the bridge as the astounded crew watched, in awe, as the figure moved forward into the artificial light of the Star Destroyer. What was revealed was a tall young man no older than nineteen or twenty with light honey brown hair that, while not too long, curled over his forehead and around his ears in elegant waves. Staring mischievously up at the Dark Lord was a pair of astonishingly blue eyes that appeared almost electric in the cold light of the bridge, seemingly glowing with powerful energy. On his lips was an alluring smirk that made all the female officers flush red, despite their composure training. They all knew who he was of course; he was Vader's apprentice, Vader's Shadow. He was as mysterious as his master was without the need of a mask, and while he was not notorious like Vader, he irrefutably had a reputation upon the Executor that generated a mixture of fear and respect from those aboard, no matter how young he was.

"That" stated the peculiar boy, "was intriguing". His voice washed over the room with a distinct power that had an indescribable weight over everyone present. His voice was smooth and enticing in the sense that it, while not excessively deep, was strong and dynamic. "Almost topped the excitement of that rebel escapade". The crew sucked in their breath at the patent humour in the boy's tone that he so nonchalantly used to address Lord Vader. The suspense amplified as the masked demon stepped forward and stared down at the boy, the spectators certain that he too would pay for his ignorance. The boy was himself rather tall and was clearly going to be a few inches over six foot when he fully matured, yet Vader loomed over him like a malevolent spectre. What was perhaps the most staggering was how the young man retained his calm demeanour, gazing up at his master with the same devious smirk and confident air.

Tautly silent, the room became restless with accumulating tension. Apprentice and master continued to stare each other down as everyone watched in amazement, torn between wonder and out-right terror at the boy's actions.

All of a sudden, the atmosphere, overwrought with anticipation, diffused as the Dark Lord uncrossed his arms and put them behind his back. "Come" the monotonous sound of the Sith's voice regulator uttered, and he marched from the bridge with a dominating aura. Grinning openly, Vader's Shadow glanced at the crew knowingly, before following his _master_ from the room. Unbeknownst to those on the bridge, Darth Vader's scarred lips had pulled into a similar smirk as the two left, leaving starstruck and bewildered Imperial personnel in their wake.

Quickly catching up to the ominous bulk ahead and matching his long strides, the Shadow looked forward as he spoke to the Sith Lord, his grin still intact. "You seem agitated."

Vader's head stayed facing ahead, yet he sent a mental snap through the Force towards his apprentice that warned him not to test his non-existent patience. Naturally, the boy ignored this caution.

"So, what allowed the plans to again escape our grasp?" Clearly a veiled question of why Vader was unable to successfully reclaim the data chip, the respirator emitted a violent stuttering sound as the Sith whirled around to face the azure eyes that stared steadfast into the swallowing chasms of Vader's mask.

"If you continue this _rebellious_ attitude during a situation of the upmost importance I will gladly throw you in with the _rebel_ Princess."

At this the boy's eyes glinted and his grin morphed into that of calm satisfaction. He had gotten the answer he wanted. "Leia Organa?" He had of course heard of the zealous Alderaanian Princess, whose charisma and staunch humanitarian efforts were borderline treason against the Empire. Her father, Senator Bail Organa, had been a supporter of the Republic and was a rumoured Rebel sympathiser. It is also alleged that, during his time as a Republic Senator, he had been close friends with the Jedi Order. Together, father and daughter had been a constant, yet elusive, thorn in the Empire's side and its Enforcer felt this encumbrance most of all.

"Yes." The Dark Lord hissed, anger flickering at the mention of the insufferable woman's name. "Your instincts serve you well" he added after a moment of pause. As soon as it came, the slight affection vanished as Vader began to inform the boy impassively of the situation. "I believe that she had sent the plans to Tatooine in an escape pod, meaning that we can presume there must be someone down there trustworthy enough to retrieve them and bring them to Rebel Command."

The Shadow hesitated somewhat before he asked the question he most eagerly wished to ask. "Master," he paused again, stretching out quickly with the force to ensure that they were indeed securely alone in the bridge corridor, "I request your permission to go to Tatooine to retrieve the plans myself and eliminate any rebel threat that may appear on the planet."

"Permission denied".

Openly blanching at the coldness behind the Dark Lord's tone, the young man narrowed his eyes sharply, analytically. Vader gave nothing away, neither physically nor mentally, but the boy sensed that he was deliberately concealing something from him. Feeling this reaction, Vader smiled grimly at the sharp burst of anger that the boy emitted, sending a ripple of power through the Force. Even trained, he still struggled to completely restrain the raw strength that threatened to boil over and consume all that surrounded him.

"I have a different task for you, young one. Something less menial." Again the boy recoiled slightly.

"Menial? Menial! How could you call a mission such as this something so so… dismissive! The information in that chip could bring the Empire to its knees!"

Feeling his own agitation spike again and sensing an approaching argument, Vader sent another surge through the Force to discreetly reprimand the boy. "Enough."

"Who else could you possibly entrust with this! Stormtroopers? They can't even shoot straight!"

"Enough!"

"Or the ISB? You know that their loyalty is compromised by the political bureaucracy! God knows how many spies Tarkin has in there alone."

"Caidan!"

Upon hearing his name, the boy-Caidan- snapped his mouth shut and just stared. It was very rare that the Dark Lord called him this in such a potentially public place. While he knew that Vader would have checked for wandering ears, it was still unusual and he felt a slight joy warm his chest at this subtle sentiment.

Sensing this, the Dark Lord's voice, as much as the mask would permit, softened so that it took on what resembled to be a reassuring tone. "Caidan," he stated again, but with a tenderness that the mask seemed to only murmur his name, "I am not sending you to Tatooine because I believe that only _you_ can get the necessary information from the Princess. The location of the rebel base, their military tactics, and most importantly, numbers and locations of other rebel cells."

Watching as the boy continued to gaze at the floor with his shoulders slumped slightly in rejection, Vader did something which he had never done before outside the confines of the training room or the ensured solitude of both their chambers. Placing his hand gently on Caidan's shoulder, Vader stated his next words with genuine emotion, another immense rarity. "I trust such a critical task only to you, my son."

Immediately Caidan felt elation and triumph surge through his body at the undeniable warmth in his words. Raising his head, ice blue eyes meeting bottomless pits, Vader's _son_ smiled tentatively before straightening his posture and standing to attention with his arms professionally behind his back, a stoic expression on his face.

"What is thy bidding, my Master?"

Smiling in pride behind his mask, Vader allowed a flutter of this emotion to touch his son before he too returned to his formidable towering stance. "Gain her trust, befriend her, even create a rapport with the girl. Do everything you must to get her to divulge the details that we require. Doing so will bring us a step closer to obliterating the Rebellion; if their beloved Princess can be broken in such a passive way, they too will crumble."

Keeping his face dispassionate as he had been taught, Caidan nodded his head curtly "As you wish… father."

"Good. Proceed to the cell block before reporting back to me." Still detecting tendrils of apprehension coming from his son, Vader surveyed the boy, whose eyes so resembled that of the ambitious and valiant Jedi that he himself once was, a moment longer before continuing. "We will regain the plans," he assured, "have no doubt about that".

With that final sentence, Lord Vader turned on his heal and marched down the corridor towards his chambers, likely to meditate in his hyperbaric chamber and breathe freely without the assistance of his suit. Watching his father stalk off, Caidan felt another smirk adorn his face. While he had wanted to get to the plans before any Imperials, befriending the Princess would be even more fruitful to his aim. Yet, just as this thought entered his mind it was barged violently out of the way as he was barraged by sudden abrasions of guilt, eroding the smirk to nothing. His father trusted him. He would have to betray that trust, and eventually shove it back in his father's face.

Turning around with a frown upon his handsome features, the young man began walking to the detention block. Shaking his honey-coloured head, the boy propelled his reservations to the back of his mind and determination took precedence. It had to be done.

Princess Leia Organa laid on her 'bed' in her cell on the Imperial Star Destroyer, gazing emotionlessly up at the prosaic metallic ceiling. Everything was a disaster. She had failed her father, she had failed her men, failed countless of innocents. She had failed the Rebellion. Now she was trapped here, on the most fearsome Star Destroyer in the Galaxy heading who knows where, being reduced to a meagre damsel in distress.

Though there was still hope! The plans to this 'super weapon' were out of Imperial hands. All R2 and Threepio had to do- God! R2 and Threepio! The fate of the Rebellion and potentially the entire Galaxy was in the hands of those two…droids! She could imagine Threepio now, complaining and likely getting himself shoved off a cliff due his protocol and 'human-cyborg relations' crap. Groaning, the Princess heaved herself into a sitting position and buried her head in her hands. She vowed to herself that she would not cry. She was a diplomat and a member of the regal royal family of Alderaan. She refused to disgrace her name any more than she already had, refused to display herself as the vulnerable weakling they all assumed her to be. However, as she sat there with tears prickling her eyes and an oppressive wave of despair closing in on her, she was finding her vow increasingly difficult to keep.

All of a sudden, her cell door slid open with a mechanical hiss, prompting her head to snap up and her posture to straighten. It was likely an interrogator, but she found herself straining to hear the dreaded sound of that barbarian's robotic breathing. Who emerged, however, was the complete opposite of what she had been expecting.

Striding confidently into the small room, Leia observed as a young man, no older than her, came to stand before her. He was tall and she internally cursed herself for the blush she knew had glossed her cheeks, hoping that the dimmed room would hide her red face. The boy, or young man as she looked closer at his face, had light golden-brown hair that fell in slight waves upon his forehead and framed his chiselled features. His hair was shorter than mid-length, but definitely longer than military regulation imposed at the Imperial Academy. His skin was smooth and slightly tanned, and he was clearly muscular underneath his dark clothes. Cherry lips adorned his lower face which were upturned at the corners into an attractive smirk, and he had a duchess style straight nose that appeared to be sculptured to fit his very face. Yet, what enchanted her most were his striking icy eyes that were as prominent, _and destructive_ she assumed as an afterthought, as glaciers. Merely looking into these captivating eyes was enough to disarm her of her rather snobbish decorum and brought another blush to her face. She again hoped that the minimal light would distort his few of her, yet the fact that she could make his features out almost perfectly left little chance of that, a fact that was confirmed by the widening of his smirk.

She was right of course, and Caidan watched as her blush morphed into a scowl. ' _Arrogant prick'_ he heard her think to herself, and he chuckled. _I will need to tell her to guard her thoughts._

"Princess Leia Organa I presume?" _Urgh_! She felt herself thinking, _even his voice is impeccable_.

Yet, despite her desire to again blush, the Princess donned her royal persona and narrowed her eyes at the young man in front of her. "Like you do not already know." She replied in a clipped voice. "Just as I know that you are here to extract _information_ out of me. I assure you, you will achieve nothing, so I suggest you save yourself the effort of trying."

The boy surprised her yet again with the bark of laughter that emerged from him. Staring at him in shock, the Princess watched as he shook his head slightly, a honey lock falling onto his brow, before he looked up at her again. As his electric eyes bored into her chocolate ones, they glinted not out of malice or mal-intent, but humorously. "We, Your Highness, are going to get along very well."

He moved into the centre of the room, touching a panel on the wall that ejected a grey metal seat out of its compartment. As he sat, he continued to survey her and she him. Silence permeated the room until she had to restrain herself from shuffling uncomfortably in her own seat. This, she presumed, was his intent. "You and your superiors are fools to make a drastic mistake such as this. I was simply on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan on the orders of the Imperial Senate! What you have done is offensive and blas-"

"The harvest is ripening" he cut her off plainly.

All the Princess could do was stare at him in astonishment. Many would savour this monumental situation of Leia Organa being at a loss for words, but the crystal eyes were nothing but sincere and serious.

"The cameras are offline." He stated as he watched her mouth open and close helplessly at his words. "We can speak freely, Princess".

After what felt like hours but what could have only been seconds of tangible silence, the overwhelmed Princess finally regained her composure somewhat and again addressed the boy in front of her. "That's the code for-"

"Your source in the Empire's military and naval hierarchy? Yes, it is."

She resumed the opening and closing of her mouth as she again gaped at him.

Sighing softly, Caidan leaned back before answering the evident questions that were flittering across her mind like blaster bolts. "How do you think Galen Erso was given the privacy to deliver these plans to the Imperial shuttle pilot Bodhi? Who do you think planted the seeds of doubt in Bodhi's mind that gave him the will to defect? How do you think Galen Erso, a mere scientist and engineer, knew of the location of the confidential and high-security Imperial databank on Scarif? Your Rebellion is like a machine, Your Highness, all it needs is for the lever of momentum to start the clogs turning."

This seemed to smack Leia out of her dream-like awe, and she allowed her extensive intrigue to countermand her ingrained caution. "Why now? What is so important about these plans? What weapon could possibly be so awful and destructive as that allegedly contained in that datafile?"

Looking soberly into the Princess's face, Caidan relieved her of the questions only to burdened her more with the horror of his answers. "The Empire is building a space station, Princess, one with the weapon's capacity to annihilate whole planets. Its lasers are generated by kyber crystals, hence explaining the destruction raged upon Jeddah. We are currently in hyperspace towards the station's location, where you will be imprisoned indefinitely. We call it the 'Death Star'."

Leia's face, contorted into a gaunt ash-grey expression, reflected the absolute terror she felt accumulating inside her, freezing her blood. "And when" she croaked out, "will this 'Death Star' be operational?"

The boy laughed despondently at this. "My dear Leia, it already is." And with that he elegantly rose to his feet, a sombre expression on his face as he looked down at her bowed head. "You may want to work on trying to guard your thoughts, creating mental shields if you can. You are rather easy to read.".

He started walking towards the door, ignoring her incredulous appearance, before turning his head slightly. "Vader wants me to get close to you, prune information from you when you least expect it. We will need to stage certain encounters, I am afraid."

As he turned to leave again, she asked the question he had been waiting for: "Who are you?"

Offering up a small smile, the boy turned and said "My name is Caidan." He paused after that. He did need to gain her trust, not for the Empire's sake but his own. Thus, he decided to go with his old surname, unused for many years. "Caidan Naberrie." The name felt foreign on his tongue. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Leia Organa." The words were sardonic, but she took no notice in her dazed state.

He watched her lips mouth his name before he turned and again was halted in his tracks.

"Why are you doing this, Caidan?"

Her words instigated a flash of memories that he for so long had been forced to plunge into the depths of his mind. Cries of agony, the echoes of his name, he helpless to assist as a black gloved hand clamped down on his small shoulder, robotic breaths in his ear.

Scrunching his eyes tight, the apprentice couldn't repress the involuntary tremor that ran down his spine. "Let's just say that I know all too well the destruction the Empire can wreck". And with that he left, leaving the morose Princess to gaze mournfully at the place where he had stood as he uttered those tortured words. Leia had felt his pain.

 **Hey guys!**

 **I am so sorry for the long wait. At first, I had a bit of writers block and I have this internship with the local government that takes up a lot of my time. Hopefully this chapter is worth the wait, and I also hope that Vader and Leia are not to OOC.**

 **Reviews are appreciated.**

 **Eliza.**


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